Negatives - Easy Learning Grammar Spanish

What is a negative?A negative question or statement is one which contains a word such as not, never or nothing and is used to say that something is not happening, is not true or is absent.

1no

In English, we often make sentences negative by adding don’t, doesn’t or didn’t before the verb. In Spanish you simply add no (meaning not) before the main verb.

Positive

Negative

Trabaja.

He works.

→

Notrabaja.

He doesn’t work.

Comen.

They eat.

→

Nocomen.

They don’t eat.

Salió.

She went out.

→

Nosalió.

She didn’t go out.

Lo he visto.

I’ve seen it.

→

Nolo he visto.

I haven’t seen it.

Sabe nadar.

He can swim.

→

Nosabe nadar.

He can’t swim.

TipNEVER translate don’t, doesn’t, didn’t using hacer.

Where there is a subject (the person doing the action) in the sentence, put no between the subject and the verb.

Juannovive aquí.

Juan doesn’t live here.

Mi hermananolee mucho.

My sister doesn’t read much.

Mis padresnohan llamado.

My parents haven’t called.

Élnolo comprenderá.

He won’t understand.

Note that the Spanish word no also means no in answer to a question.

Where the subject is only shown by the verb ending, no goes before the verb.

Notenemos tiempo.

We haven’t got time.

Todavíanoha llegado.

He hasn’t arrived yet.

Nohemos comido.

We haven’t eaten.

Nollevará mucho tiempo.

It won’t take long.

If there are any object pronouns (for example, me, te, lo, los, le and so on) before the verb, no goes BEFORE them.

Nolo he visto.

I didn’t see it.

Nome gusta el fútbol.

I don’t like football.

In phrases consisting only of not and another word, such as not now or not me, the Spanish no usually goes AFTER the other word.

Ahorano.

Not now.

Yono.

Not me.

Todavíano.

Not yet.

Some phrases have a special construction in Spanish.

Espero que sí.

I hope so.

→

Espero que no.

I hope not.

Creo que sí.

I think so.

→

Creo que no.

I don’t think so.

2Other negative words

In Spanish, you can form negatives using pairs and groups of words, as you can in English.

no ... nunca never or not ... ever

Nola veonunca.

I never see her orI don’t ever see her.

no ... jamás never or not ... ever

Nola veojamás.

I never see her orI don’t ever see her.

no ... nada nothing or not ... anything

Noha dichonada.

He has said nothing orHe hasn’t said anything.

no ... nadie nobody or not ... anybody

Nohablaron connadie.

They spoke to nobody orThey didn’t speak to anybody.

no ... tampoco not ... either

Yonola vi. – Yotampoco.

I didn’t see her. – Neither did I.or I didn’t either. or Nor did I.

A élnole gusta el café y a mítampoco.

He doesn’t like coffee and neither do I.

no ... ni ... ni neither ... nor

NovinieronniCarlosniAna.

Neither Carlos nor Ana came.

no ... más no longer or not ... any more

Note verémás.

I won’t see you any more.

no ... ningún/ninguna+ noun no or not ... any

Notieneningúninterés en ir.

She has no interest in going.

Most of these negative words can also be used without no provided they come before any verb.

NuncaorJamásla veo.

I never see her.

Nadievino.

No one came.

NiPedroniPablo fuman.

Neither Pedro nor Pablo smokes.

¿Quién te ha dicho eso? – Nadie.

Who told you that? - No one.

¿Qué has hecho? –Nada.

What have you done? – Nothing.

Sometimes negative expressions combine with each other.

Nuncahacennada.

They never do anything.

Nuncavienenadie.

No one ever comes.

Nolo harénunca más.

I’ll never do it again.

Noveonuncaanadie.

I never see anyone.

3Word order with negatives

In English you can put words like never and ever between have/has/had and the past participle, for example, Wehaveneverbeento Argentina. You should never separate he, has, ha, había and so on from the past participle of the verb in Spanish.

You can make sentences negative by putting no before the verb (and before any object pronouns that are in front of the verb).

Other negative words also exist, such as nunca, nadie and nada. Use them in combination with no, with the verb sandwiched in between. Most of them also work on their own provided they go before any verb.

Never insert negative words, or anything else, between he, has, ha, había and so on and the past participle.